Charles Kuffner

Houston

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The THC ban and the Houston retail market

2 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

Wow. The bright lights of Bahama Mama’s flagship store along Lower Westheimer turned on a year ago, welcoming passersby into a hemp shop unlike anything else in Houston. A red carpet rolled into a mirrored showroom stocked with nearly every type of legal hemp product and accessory imaginable. A Las Vegas-like mix of color, chrome and cannabis culture gave the 5,000-square-foot boutique an Instagram-ready vibe. The bold design reflected Bahama Mama’s even bolder real estate strategy.
Humble ISD candidate challenges her disqualification

2 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

This story isn’t over yet. Meanwhile, former trustee-elect Brittnai Brown has challenged the notion stipulated in a lawsuit against her that she did not reside in Humble ISD for the required six months before the filing deadline to run for office. The district found Brown was ineligible because she was not a registered voter in Humble ISD before the filing deadline, despite living in the area.
Wisk gives a virtual demo

2 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

I’d want to see the real thing, but I suppose that wasn’t practical under the circumstances. Saemi Poelma eagerly posed for a photo Tuesday inside a model autonomous air taxi, impressed by the possibility of a new way of traveling without a human pilot. “This is something that we all imagined as kids,” Poelma said. The sleek, self-flying aircraft drew a crowd of curious onlookers at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
Measles update: There’s nowhere to go but down

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

What a depressing headline. Amid a widespread decline in childhood measles vaccination rates since before the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States, a study published Monday found that coverage can vary substantially within a state. Looking at county-level data in 33 states, researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination rate decreased from 93.92% in the 2017-2018 school year to 91.26% in the 2023-2024 school year.
Add Rep. Talarico to the “thinking about running for Senate” list

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

Join the party, there’s plenty of room. State Rep. James Talarico, a former schoolteacher who often goes viral on social media for his feisty exchanges with Republicans, told Hearst Newspapers he is considering a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2026. “The legislative session just ended, and I am having conversations about how I can best serve, and that does include the Senate race,” said Talarico, an Austin Democrat. The seat is currently held by longtime U.S. Sen.
A change in when we vote early

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Texas will no longer have a three-day gap between the end of early voting and Election Day under a bill passed by the Texas Legislature that is heading to Gov. Greg Abbott. Currently, Texas ends in-person early voting on the Friday before Election Day and restarts voting on Tuesday morning at 7 a.m. for Election Day. But under the new changes, the gap is gone and Texas will essentially have one voting period that runs for 13 days.
Texas DREAM Act suddenly killed by activist judge

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

This is some bullshit. Undocumented students in Texas are no longer eligible for in-state tuition after Texas agreed Wednesday with the federal government’s demand to stop the practice. The abrupt end to Texas’ 24-year-old law came hours after the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was suing Texas over its policy of letting undocumented students qualify for lower tuition rates at public universities.
Whitmire’s budget passes

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

On to the next thing. The City Council approved Mayor John Whitmire’s nearly $7 billion budget on Wednesday after months of strenuous efforts to cut costs and streamline services as officials contended with the largest deficit in Houston’s history. The nearly eight-hour, high-tension meeting included a protest from members of storm recovery nonprofit Northeast Action Collective that ended with the clearing of the council chambers by City Hall security officers.
Rep. Jolanda Jones announces for CD18

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. State Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, on Monday jumped into the race for the congressional seat left open by the death of U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner, the former Houston mayor. “The simple fact is no one will fight harder to stop Republicans from taking away our social security, our public schools, our health care, our constitutional rights and more,” Jones said in a statement announcing her campaign.
Tarrant county does mid-decade redistricting and gets sued over it

3 weeks ago | offthekuff.com | Charles Kuffner

First there was this. The Tarrant County Commissioners Court could get a bigger conservative majority next year under a new map passed Tuesday. Republican Commissioners Manny Ramirez, Matt Krause and County Judge Tim O’Hare voted to adopt the map. Democratic Commissioners Alisa Simmons and Roderick Miles Jr. voted against it. The map reshapes the two Democrat-controlled precincts and makes Precinct 2 more friendly to Republicans, according to past election data shared by the county.